Galatians 6:7-9 -- Do not be fooled: You cannot cheat God. People harvest only what they plant ... If they plant to please the Spirit, they will receive eternal life from the Spirit. We must not become tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time if we do not give up.

Fairview, I know you are tired. I know that because I am tired too! We have worked real hard to move our church forward. To get out into our community. To provide an inviting environment for our friends and family. To do ministry. And sometimes that work has been for only one or two or three, so we wonder if it’s being effective.

Here is some GOOD NEWS! The promise of Galatians 6 is for us! You have been planting to please the Spirit. You have been giving out ministry. So now, as most of our regular volunteers are on a monthly or bi-monthly schedule, God is blessing us with the opportunity to receive ministry.  We have experienced a mighty move of the Spirit in our services over the past three weeks. The same can be said for our Saturday Evening Prayer Meeting.   And the same Spirit was felt at the FYI Surge last night.

I believe revival is here. I sense a special touch of the Spirit being poured out to our congregation. I think that same movement of His Spirit is about to be poured out on our friends, family, and community. And it is all because you have “not become tired of doing good”.  You may be tired from doing good, but you have not become tired of doing good. So we are about to reap that harvest that is promised for doing good.

One last Lenten Devotional. The previous one was from my devotional message at our Good Friday Service. This one comes from my devotion at our Easter Morning Breakfast Service.

John 13:12 -- When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and sat down again. He asked, “Do you understand what I have just done for you?

 Jesus began to wash the disciples feet while knowing full-well that one of them would deny Him, one of them would betray Him, and all of them would run away from Him and hide behind locked doors. Yet, He did it anyway.

God knows the sins we have committed, and even those we will commit, but he loves us anyway.

Washing the feet of a guest to a dinner party was the chore of the lowliest servant in the household. It was necessary because people wore sandals as shoes, walked everywhere on mostly dirt roads, and would eat in a reclined position off a low table, so their feet would be quite close to the eating surface and the food.

Jesus wrapped a towel around His waist and began to wash their feet. In doing so, He set a standard that we are to serve the needs of those around us.  Jesus goes so far as to suggest that there is a special blessing in store for those who serve others. John 13:17 -- If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus doing this was not simply to get His disciples to be nice to each other. He knew He would soon be gone from them. He knew He was going to leave them with a seemingly impossible charge, to go into all the world…

If the disciples were to move into the work of being a witness of Jesus’ life and ministry to all the world, they would have to learn to serve God, serve each other, and serve the people to whom they would take the message of salvation.

Whom can you serve today? Many leaders reject serving those under them. How do you treat those who are under you (children, employees, volunteers, etc)?

Peter watched Jesus wash the other’s feet, and move closer to doing so with him. He didn’t understand it, and objected to it. But Jesus’ point was that true discipleship does what pride will not. True discipleship forgets my position, my reputation, my title, my family tradition, and my church tradition and remembers only Jesus’ example and other’s needs.

But foot-washing is not to be an ordinance of the church. It is not culturally relevant. We wear shoes, drive most places, and eat off raised tables. The washing of feet, then, carries no meaning to us, now.

However, service to others does carry a meaning and, I believe, is to be held in as high regard to our faith as the sacraments of Baptism and Communion. .  Jesus used this humble act to declare God’s heart and mind concerning how people are to understand and interact with each other. He presents the principles of self-giving service and servant-leadership.

He did more than role-play service to others. He also showed how His leaders were to have the confidence and security as a leader to be able to serve. When we lead, and therefore serve others, we are to do so firmly aware of what God has called us to do. We are to stoop to help others, we are to count others better than ourselves, we are to lay down our lives for another, and we are to seek to serve rather than be served.

But there is another application here, too. Think back to the reason why they had to wash their feet anyway, and Jesus’ rebuke to Peter when he finally decided to not only let Jesus wash His feet, but the rest of his body as well.

John 13:9-10 -- Simon Peter answered, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but wash my hands and my head, too!” Jesus said, “After a person has had a bath, his whole body is clean. He needs only to wash his feet.

A person’s body was already cleaned, having been bathed in the morning before starting out on whatever trip they were on. By lunch or dinner time, it was not necessary to take another bath. But, because of the dusty nature of the roads, their feet needed cleaning. They had walked along the road and picked up a little dirt on their feet.

Similarly, when we start our life in Christ, we are cleaned from the “dirt” of sin. And as we continue to walk toward dinner (think “Marriage Supper of the Lamb”), we do not need another spiritual bath. However, as we do walk along the path God lays out before us, we may pick up a little “dirt” on our feet.

Jesus told Peter not to reject having his feet washed because (verse 8) If I don’t wash your feet, you are not one of my people. I think this can be seen as a warning about daily consecration of our lives to Jesus. If we reject getting our “feet washed” of the dirt they pick up along the way, we run the risk of “not being one of (His) people”.

So, as we finish our breakfast and get ready for the Easter Morning Service, consider these 2 things:

1.     Are we willing to serve others, even if it means taking a subordinate position when we rightly should occupy a more pronounced status
2.     Do we check our “feet” daily to be sure  we haven’t picked up some “dirt” along our daily walk

 John 3:16 -- God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.

The sweet truth of Easter is presented here in 28 words. To boil it down even further, God’s love:

• Reaches out
  
• Draws others in
  
• Sets the pattern for our love to others
  

 Matthew 12:40 -- Jonah was in the stomach of the big fish for three days and three nights. In the same way, the Son of Man will be in the grave three days and three nights.

So many people say “If I could just see a miracle, then I could believe”. The sweet truth of Easter is that God loves us enough to give us the most definite evidences of Jesus as the Messiah:

• The virgin birth
  
• Jesus’ death
  
• His Resurrection
  
• The Ascension 
  
• Centuries of work in the lives of believers around the world
  

Matthew 28:6 -- He is not here. He has risen from the dead as he said he would. Come and see the place where his body was.

The sweet truth of Easter is seen in the Resurrection:

• He rose from the dead, just as He promised. So we can be sure that He will keep His promises to us
  
• The power that brought Jesus up from the grave is available to us for the needs we have
  
• The Resurrection gives us the authority for witnessing to the world. It is not just the collected sayings of a good teacher that we teach
  
• The Resurrection gives us hope in the face of the tragedies we face in life
  

Acts 1:4 -- … (Jesus) told them not to leave Jerusalem. He said, “Wait here to receive the promise from the Father which I told you about … (for) when the Holy Spirit comes to you, you will receive power. You will be my witnesses—in Jerusalem, in all of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world.

The sweet truth of Easter is that it provides us with an unlimited source of power, the Holy Spirit:

• The Spirit marks the beginning of the Christian experience. We come to Jesus only as the Spirit draws us
  
• The Spirit is the power we need to begin our new life in Christ
  
• The Spirit gives us the  ability to witness with extraordinary results, as we are not just telling a story within the context of our own power, but, instead, are showing and telling what God’s power has done in our lives
  

Have you ever wished you could actually see Jesus, touch Him, and hear His words? Are there times you want to sit down with Him and get His advice? Well, we can. He is with us in the form of the Holy Spirit. He can be, and wants to be, as real to us as He was to His followers 2,000 year ago.

Going back to John 3:16, all we have to do is believe. This is the sweet truth of Easter.

• To believe is more than just an intellectual agreement 
  
• To believe means to put our trust and confidence in Him that He alone can save us and give us access to Heaven
  
• To believe is to put Jesus in charge of our plans and our lives
  
• To believe is to trust that His word is reliable
  
• To believe is to rely on Him for the power to change our lives
  

Will you accept the sweet truth of Easter tonight?

Romans 1:16

As Roscoe P. Coltraine might say, “Good news, good news, good news!”

Romans 1:16 tells us, I am not ashamed of the Good News, because it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes.

It is interesting that the Gospel is called “good news”.  I say interesting because the Gospel is: Jesus came, Jesus died, Jesus, was raised. Jesus lives.  Part of that good news is that Jesus died.

It is good news that Jesus died? His disciples didn’t think so at the time. Those who loved Him didn’t think so at the time. Those who listened to Him didn’t think so at the time. Those who came to Him for healing probably didn’t think so at the time.

Those who opposed Him did think so, but only for about 3 days.

But, that Jesus died is good news.

It is what we need. It is what need for salvation. Our only hope for heaven is that Jesus died. It is what we need for life-change. All those things that cause us pain and harm (even when we do them to ourselves) would do so forever without it. It is what we need. We -- all of us. No matter who you are, where you come from, what you do, or what you look like.

Dear Lord, let me live as though I know  -- really know – that what You did for me was, indeed, Good News. 

Matthew 28:19-20

“Advance confidently in the direction of your dreams.” -- Henry David Thoreau 

We are all called by God to do something. However, the problem so many people have is knowing what that thing is, and how to advance confidently.  

For that reason, many times someone will sit still, scared to move for fear they are going opposite the way God wants for them. So worried are they that they might not be in God’s “perfect will”, that they do nothing.  

But God doesn’t want us to do nothing. He has a call on all our lives. By definition, the word “call” suggests an intended action. Sitting around doing nothing waiting for the “right time” doesn’t fit with being called to do something.  

So how can we know if we are doing the right thing, or going the right way? Well, I think the first thing to do is define “right”. The specifics will vary, and most certainly will be varied throughout your life, but right is: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20).  

God has called you to go, make, baptize, teach, and obey. He has also given you certain interests, talents, gifts, desires, and abilities. How you use the latter to do the former is your dream.  

As the eminent theologians, Electric Light Orchestra, once said through song, “Hold on tight to your dreams.”

Dear Lord, You have called me to go, make, baptize, teach, and obey. Help me to use the dreams, gifts, and talents You have given me to fulfill Your call.

Luke 19:1-10

Zacchaeus was a bad man, tax collectors had the semi-legal right to steal. His conversion led to a change in his lifestyle. He did not just talk Christianity, he walked it.

Zacchaeus took steps to show all the community that he was a changed man. He decided to give half of his goods to the poor. The other half he did not intend to keep to himself but to use to make restitution to all he had cheated.

He went far beyond what was legally necessary. Zacchaeus was determined to do far more than the law demanded. He showed by his actions that he was a changed man.

There is a terrible story about a church service in progress at which several women were giving their testimony. One woman kept grimly silent. She was asked to testify but refused. She was asked why and she answered, "Four of these women who have just given their testimony owe me money, and I and my family are half-starved because we cannot buy food."

A testimony is utterly worthless unless it is backed by deeds that guarantee its sincerity. It is not a mere change of words which Jesus Christ demands, but a change of life.

What "tree" did Jesus find you up? How did He get you down? Has it changed you? Are you tellin’ anyone about it?

Dear Lord, thank You for the gift of life through Jesus. I search my own heart Lord and ask You to forgive me where I have not lived up to Your high calling. 

John 6:9

There is a tale of an old German schoolmaster who, when he entered his class of boys in the morning, used to remove his cap and bow ceremoniously to them. One asked him why he did this. His answer was: "You never know what one of these boys may some day become." He was right--because one of them was Martin Luther.

We probably miss many occasions for ministry because we aren’t paying attention to the needs around us. Great opportunities to serve don’t last too long, and when they are gone they may never return again.

And we do this by paying attention.

A pastor sat in the sun in his garden. It was a rare quiet moment. He was reading his Bible and praying. A tapping at the door broke the silence.

He sat silently, hoping the person would go away. The gentle tapping resumed. Grumpily he walked to the door, opening it with a scowl behind his face. It was a street kid.

“Sir, may I please have a little bread?” The pastor almost said no. But he couldn’t. Curtly he told the kid to “stay here”. He went to his kitchen and got a small piece of bread, returned, and handed it to the kid. “Here. Now don’t bother me again.”

Walking back toward his garden and his Bible, the pastor passed the window and glanced out. There was the boy, carefully dividing the bread into even smaller pieces, sharing them with three younger street kids.

Tears flowing, the pastor invited the kids in. Begging for forgiveness, he shared bread, milk, and cheese. He asked their names and listened to their stories.

Good things happen when you share your lunch.

Dear Lord, please help me to remember Your sacrifice for me and help me to look for ways to help others. 

I Peter 4: 10-11

The movie Sky High is the story of a teenager, Will Stronghold, who is the son of two superheroes: The Commander and Jet Stream. Like all other super teens, he goes to a special high school – Sky High, so named because it floats in orbit above the earth.

As his first day of high school looms, Will still doesn’t have any super powers. This means he might forever be known as 'hero support', or a sidekick. But, as the son of the two most famous superheroes on earth, he is expected to, in the words of his dad, “save the earth someday, just to be able to experience that once”.

The school nurse tries to console him by stating that she only knows of one offspring of two superhero parents who never inherited any powers: Ron Wilson, bus driver.

Ron has no powers. But he has a job to do nonetheless. His role is important because he has the responsibility of getting the next generation safely to and from school. He takes his job seriously. He is hard working. He is trustworthy. He doesn't worry about what he could be doing, or what others were doing that he can't. His focus was on what he could do right now – and on doing it well. Toward the end of the movie, when he is called on to help save the 'real' superheroes, he rises to the occasion.

God needs more 'Ron Wilson, bus drivers'. There can only be one Billy Graham. There is but one Reinhard Bonnke. Only one Rick Warren. We can't all be superheroes. But we can all aspire to be Ron Wilson, bus driver. And do what we can, where we can, when we can, with what we can.

Dear Lord, may I be found willing to do whatever You call me to do. 

I Corinthians 10:31

Becoming a Christian does not stamp out all sin in our life. Being born again is simply an acknowledgement of our sin; becoming “Christlike” takes a lifetime of growing. This happens as God sends us the Holy Spirit to live in us and give us power to overcome sin. Since sin is stronger than we are on our own. We have to look to Jesus, who conquered sin, to help us live a life of holiness.

In my early twenties, I liked to listen to Richard Marks’ music. However, I once bought a tape of his that did not set right in my spirit. I asked the Lord to show me if this was not the right type of music to listen to. And He did. My tape player ate the tape.

But I did not “get it”.  I went out and bought another tape. And the same thing happened again, although my tape player was not “eating” other tapes. It was at that time that I recalled my prayer.  So I threw the second one away and did not replace it.

Many things can have an impact on our spiritual condition. And those things can really affect the way we live our life. Just because something sounds, looks, or tastes good, does not make it good. And some of those things can be life altering.

The longer we are with Jesus, the more holy we should become. This is because we are walking with Him. He is empowering us to not want to sin. He is enabling us to not sin; to live victoriously.

Dear Lord, thank You for giving me the opportunity to live a life holy before You. Give me the strength to make the choices that bring life. 


--Karen Johnson